All Forum Posts by: Roger Ledoux

Joe Sillaman,

Thanks for the advice.  We are definitely going to buy. I'm working with Travis from Hawaii Life. I'll be flying out to Hawaii next month to look at houses with him.  Take care.

Do you guys think it wise to rent for at least 1 year before buying in Hawaii. For example, I would really like to live in Mililani Mauka because of the community and school district. It's cheaper to rent a house than it is to buy. I'm seeing places priced at $2700-$3000 a month, which is very doable for us and it gets us in a great location. My biggest concern is that I feel that by renting I could possibly be missing out on any appreciation in real estate or that prices in general will continue to skyrocket and make home ownership unaffordable.  For $550K, I'm seeing homes for sale in Ewa Gentry area. I have no idea if that area is good or not. I'll be paying about the same for a mortgage in Ewa as I would renting in Mililani. I would love some input.

I've been preapproved for a $516K VA Loan, which is the entitlement I had left, to purchase a home in Honolulu. For this amount, my options are pretty much condos/townhomes in good neighborhoods. I could probably buy a single family, but it would be in the not so desirable areas like Kalihi or the far west side of Oahu. My plan is to use this VA benefit to purchase something I can rent out in a few years because I plan on buying a single family home. I was thinking of making my max budget $450K, which will make my PITI and maintenance fee around $2500-$2700. The problem is I have no idea if these places will rent out for that much. I guess I have to do more research. If I do a loan for the max amount of $516K, my payments will be over $3K a month and I don't think anyone's renting for that much. I would appreciate any advice you all can offer to help me make a better decision. I need at least 3 bed/2 bath place. My mother and teenage sister will be moving in with us as well, so that'll be 6 people total living in the townhome.

I appreciate you all welcoming me. I look forward to learning and growing with you.

I don't even own a house, but I am aspiring to be a real estate investor. Look forward to learning from some of you.